Bowling ball bumper and table support for automatic pin positioning machines



J. C. CLARK L BUMPER AND TABLE SUPPORT FOR Jan. 22, 1952 BOWLING BAL AUTOMATIC PIN POSITIONING MACHINES Filed Dec.

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 22, 1952 B WLINGBALLhUMPER TABLE sur- PORT FOR AUTOMATIC PIN POSITIONING MACHINES I Joseph 0. Clark, lt ierchantville, N. J., assignor to American. Machine and Foundry Company, a. corporation of New Jersey. r

Application besmsbs; 31, 1947; Serial No. 795,075

This invention relates. to automatic bowlin pin setting machinesv and moreparticularly apparatus for counterbalancing heavy moving parts of a bowling pin setting machine;

Mostv bowling alleys in existence today were i not constructed to; support heavy automatic pin setting, machines. When a series otb'owling pin setting machines are mounted side by side in. a

bowling alley, the floor load capacities must not be. exceeded and it will be appreciated that most bowling alleys will have very definite limitations in this respect. It has thereiore been a problem to design anautom'atic pin setting machine,

14 claims. (01. 27343) which will not only be reliable in operation but which will also be practicable. in that it'will be light. enough to be. used. in a large number of alleys. not originally designed to support automatic pin setting machines.

It is. therefore an object to provide apparatus whereby thebumper hanging across. the. pit. of

a bowling alley will be interconnected with a re'spotter table so that one will counterbalance the other to.- eliminate the need of separate counterbalancing devices and thus enable less power to be usedto raise and lowerthe re'spotter table.

A further object. is to: interconnect and" synchronize the movements cfa bowl-ing pin spotting and respotting table andabumper hanging acrossthepit of. a bowling alley to place one in operative position while the other is removed from operative position.

Another object is-to reduce the amount of weight of a bowling pin setting machine by counterbalancing two operating members with each other; 7 Other objects and features of the invention will appear as the description of' the particular physical embodiment selectedto illustrate the inwith an automatic bowling pin setting machine employing a table which travels towards and away from a bowling alley to set and reset bowling pins on the bowling alley and a cushion hanging across the pit of the bowling alley for stopping thrown bowling. balls. If desired reference may be made to U. S.v Patent 2,346,189 issued to G; J. Schmidt on April 11, 1944, for an automatic pin s-ettingmachine comprising a traveling table and a cushion of the type to which I refer.

The respotter table I0 is mounted for vertical movement above a bowling alleyv l2 on which bowling pins are spotted. Guide channels i i are mounted on either side of the respotter table l0 and are secured to the kickback walls IB and 2K! at the back end of the bowling alley. Various types of tables may be employedv for setting and resetting bowling pins on a bowling alley of which the type shown is purely illustrative.

For purposes of illustration and without intent to limit the scope of this inventi'omI have shown a table employing cone shaped pin resetting grippers 22' and spotting grippers 24 for positioning pins on the bowling alley. For a more de tailed description of how the pin setting and resetting grippers operate reference may be made to the above patent and to patent No. 2,217,709 issued to G. J. Schmidt on October 15, 1940.

The spotting and respotting table It is sup.- ported on opposite sidesv by studs 25 pivotally mounted in the sliding guide shoes 26 which slide up and down in guide channels 14. Sliding guide shoes 26 are connected to and. supported by one end of cables 28', the other ends of cables 28. being fixedly connected to pulleys 39 mounted on either side of the bowling alley. Pulleys 3B are fixedly mounted on the shaft 32 on which is also fixedly mounted a pinion 34. Rack 35 is held in engagement with the pinion 34 by means of a guide roller 38'.

Cables 42 are connected at one end to .a pair of pulleys fixedly mounted at opposite ends of shaft 32 and travel over a pair of pulleys 44 and 46. mounted" at opposite ends of the shaft 92. The other ends of cables .42 are connected to sliding guideshoes 48 and. 50 which travel up and down in guide channels 52 and 54. Axbracket 56 connected at its ends to the guide shoes 48 and 50 by suitable means such as bolts 58 and 530 serves to maintain the shoes 48 and 50 in their respective channels 52 and 54. A pair of hooks 62 and 64 formed on the lower side of bracket support a conventional hanging cushion 65 by engaging with the eye bolts 68 and .10 attached to the upper side of the cushion 65. The guide channels 52 and 54 are fixedly mounted on the upper sides of the kickback walls It and 26 as shown in Fig. 2.

Mounted: across the floor of the pit of the bowling alley is a suitable device such as the continuously traveling belt l2 which travels over rollers '14 and 1'6 in the direction indicated by the arrow to forward pins and bowling balls towards the rear end of the pit where suitable means are employed'for elevating and removing the bowling ball and bowling pins from the pit of the bowling alley. If desired reference may be made to copending application of R. E. Rundell, S. N. 706,472, filed October 29, 1946, for apparatus suitable for this purpose which could be used for removing a bowling ball and bowling pins from the pit of the bowling alley.

Rack 35, mounted on one end of the connecting rod '58 receives reciprocatory motion from the arcuate movements of arm 88. Arm 80 is fixedly mounted on shaft 84 which is freely supported at each end in suitable bearings attached to brackets 82 mounted on the frame 86 of the automatic pin setting machine.

A suitable coiled tension spring 85 is mounted on the shaft 84 and is fixed at one end to the collar 81 and at the other end to bracket 82 so that there will be sufficient tension exerted on the arm 89 to hold the cam follower 88 in engagement with cam 99 at all times; Cam 99 is fixedly mounted on shaft 92 which is rotatably supported at each end in bearin brackets 94 and 95. Bearingbrackets 94 and 96 are fixedly connected to brackets 82.

Driving gear 98 is fixedly mounted on the shaft 92 and receives driving movement from a pinion I which is fixedly mounted on a shaft I02. Shaft I82 is freely supported in suitable bearing brackets I84 and I 06. Also fixedly mounted on shaft I02 is a sprocket I08 intermittently driven by sprocket chain III) from the main shaft, not shown, of the automatic pin setting machine.

The operation of my invention may be briefiy described as follows:

After a player has thrown a bowling ball it will strike against the bumper 66 which absorbs the momentum of the bowling ball which then falls into the pit of the bowling alley. The bowling ball in rollin along the alley into'the pit actuates a suitable detector such as a photoelectric cell or switch such as shown in the aforementioned application of R. E. Rundell, S. N. 706,472 which indicate that a bowling ball has been thrown and sets the automatic pin setting machine in operation.

At the proper time in the cycle of operation of the automaticpin setting machine, the table I0 is lowered toward the bowling alley into contact with any pins which remain standing on the alley.

Suitable detectors associated with the cone shaped pin resetting rippers 22 indicate which pins, if any, remain standing after the bowling ball has been thrown. As the table II] descends the bumper 66 will be elevated thereby allowing the thrown ball to pass to the rear of the alley. If the ball thrown constitutes the first ball in a frame, the gripping devices 22 on the respotter table I0 grip and elevate the standing pins above the alley and a suitable sweeping device such as shown in U. S. patent issued to R. E. Rundell 2,250,503, dated July 29, 1941, pushes the-fallen pins to the rear of the alley into the pit. The respotter table I0 is then lowered to replace the gripped pins on the alley to enable the player to throw his second ball in the frame. I

In the event of a strike on the first ball in a frame, the table I9 would be elevated without any pins since they were all knocked down. The machine would then go through a strike cycle clearing the alley of all fallen pins. Table I8 is then rotated 180 before being lowered to place a new set of pins carried by the pin gripping cups 24 on the alley. Each time the table I0 is lowered, the bumper 66 is raised thereby allowing the bowling ball and pins to'tr'a'vel freel under the bumper 66 towards the rear of the pit into 4 the range of action of suitable ball and pin elevating mechanism. It will be noted that the operating cycles of the table I0 and bumper 66 alternate and when one device is lowered into operating position the other is simultaneously raised out of operative position.

If the thrown'ball constitutes the second ball in a. frame, the spotting and respotting table I0, after having been lowered to indicate which pins remain standing on the alley, is raised without elevating any of the standing pins. A suitable s'weep' such as referred to above is then actuated to push both standin and fallen pins from the alley into' the pit.- The respotter table is then rotated 180 on its pivotally supported studs 25 so. as to bring the gripping cups 24, containing a new set of bowling pins, above the alley I2. The table IIT is then lowered by the actuation of chain IIU, to set a new set of pins in playing arrangement on the alley. It will be understood that while I have referred to and illustrated a table which rotates about its axis 180, non-rotating spotting and respotting tables which travel towards and away from the bed of a bowling alley could be used equally as well for this purpose and my invention is not intended to be restricted for use with the specific type of table used to'illustrate the invention. If desired reference may be made to copending application of W. C. Broekhuysen, S; N. 627,605, filed'November 9, 1945, which matured as Patent No. 2,559,274, July-3, 1951, for apparatus suitable for controlling the operation of an automatic pin setting machine.

The table I 0 is raised and lowered in the manner described by means of the cables 28 which raise and lower guide shoes 26 in the channels I4. The guide shoes 26 to which the table In is pivotally connected and the guide shoes 48 and 50 to which the bumper 66 is connected by means of the supporting bracket 58 are lowered and raised by means of cables 28 mechanically associated with cables 42. The cables 28 and 42, which are fixedly connected to their-respective pulleys and 40 are wound up and unwound from these pulleys by the reciprocation of the rack 36 which engages with the pinion 34. Since the pulleys 30 and 40 are of different diameters, the distances traveled by the table I8 and bumper 66 will vary accordingly and this also allows for a corresponding difference in weight between the table Ill-and the'bumper 66;

The reciprocation of the rack 36 which is mounted on the end of connecting rod 18 is controlled by the contour of cam against which the cam follower 88 is held by means of the coiled tension spring 85.. .The cam 98 is rotated through a complete cycle by its'driving mechanism consisting of the sprocket chain IIO, sprocket I08, shaft I92, pinion I00, drive gear 98 and shaft 92. Sprocket chain H0 is connected to a suitable source of power and is driven for a predetermined length of time, each time the bowling ball is 98 through a complete greases resetting table" Ill, both of which constitute two rather heavy parts of'anautomatic pin setting machine. The device; Fhave shown for using the weight of the bumper to counterbalance the weight of the spotting and respotting table is economical to construct and also lessens the;

weight of the machine in thata special counterweight not required to be used to counterbalaance the table.

The bali-and pins which are disch'a'rged into the pit of the bowling alley are forwarded to the rear of the alley due to the traveling movementv of belt 12. Suitable mechanism such as that shown in copending application 'o'f Rupert E; Rundell, S; 706,472; referred tohereinbeiore may be used for removing the bowling ball and bowling pins from the pit of the bowling alley; J

While the bumper orcushion 6b in the apparatus used to illustrate the. invention is spaced from the traveling belt F2 adistance greater thanthedi 'ameter of a bowling pinto thereby allow pins to ments could be employed equally as well with the said vertically movable bumper-support, a device for interconnecting said elongated flexible-mem bers to cause said table and bumper to counterbalance each other and thereby decrease the amount of force required to move each.

i. In an automatic bowling machine having a verticallymovable table for setting and resetting bowling pins on a bowling alley and avertically movable bumper hanging across the pit of the invention. Tomake sure the bumper stops the thrown bowling ball it is preferable to have the bumper spaced from the travelingbelt 12 a distance less than the diameterof a bowling ball as shown Figures 1 and-.2

The invention above described maybe varied in construction within. the scope. of the claims,

for the particular device selected to illustrate the :1

invention is but one of many possible embodimerits of the same. The invention, therefore, is

not'to be restricted to the precise detailsof the structure shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic bowling pinsetting and resetting machine having a bumper for stopping bowling balls and a table for placing a new set of ance the weights of said bumper and said table against each other.

2. In an automaticbowling pin setting and resetting machine having a bowling ball bumper, M and a spotting and respotting table, mechanism 5' interconnecting said bumper and table compris- 1 ing vertically movable guide supports connected to opposite sides of said table, vertically movable guide supports to which said bumper is attached,

an elongated flexible member for lowering and raising the guide supports to which said bumper is attached, an elongated flexible member for lowering and raising said table guide supports to which said table is attached, and mechanism interconnecting said elongated flexible members for balancing the weight of the bumper against the v weight of the table.

3. An automatic bowling pin setting and resetting machine having a vertically movable tablef for setting and resetting bowling pins on a bowling alley, a bumper for stopping a thrown bowling ball hanging across the pit of the bowling alley, a vertically movable support to which said bumper is attached, elongated flexible members connected to said vertically movable table and bowling a1eytostop-thrown-bowling balls, a device interconnecting said table and said bumper to counterbalance one against the other and mechanism for lowering and raising said table each timea bowling ball has been thrown.

5. In an automatic bowling pin setting and resetting machine having a bowling ball bumper, and a spotting and respotti-ng table, mechanism interconnecting said bumper and table comprising movable supports associated with the table, movable supports associated with said bumper, an elongated member for lowering and raising the supports with which said bumper is associated, a member for lowering and raising said table "supports, and mechanism interconnecting said members for balancing the weight of the bumper against the weight of the table.

6-. Inan automatic bowling pin setting and resetting machine having a bumper for stopping bowling balls and a table for engaging, gripping, lifting and replacing standing bowling pins on a bowling alley, a support for -said table adapted and arranged to suspend said bumper for vertical movement, and mechanism interconnecting said and arranged tosu'spend said bumper for vertical movement, and mechanism interconnecting said table and said bumperto enable one to counterbalance the other.

7 In an automatic bowling pin setting machine, a ball stopping member movable up and down with respect toa bowling alley for per formingan operation in one portion of the. operating cycle of the automatic pin setting machine, apin positioning member movable up and down with respect to the bowling alley for performing another operation in the machine cycle, and

mechanism for counterbalancing the ball stopping member against the pin positioning member to reduce the amount of power required to raise and lower said members.

8. In an automatic bowling pin setting machine a pin handling device movable up and down with respect to a bowling alley to position bowling pins on the bowling alley, an operating member for limiting the amount of travel of bowling balls and bowling pins, and mechanism counterbalancing said device and member against each other to cause said device and member to travel/ up and down with respect to the bowling alley whenever either of said members is moved a predetermined distance to perform its respective operating function.

9. An automatic bowling pin setting and resetting machine having a vertically movable table for setting and resetting bowling pins on a bowling alley, a vertically movable bumper for stopping a thrown bowling ball hanging across the pit of the bowling alley, elongated flexible members supporting said table and said bumper, a device for interconnecting said elongated flexible members to cause said table and bumper to move predetermined distances of travel in opposite directions each time one of said members is moved a predetermined distance for balancing the weight of the table against the weight of the bumper.

10. In an automatic bowling pin setting and resetting machine, a table for setting and resetting standing bowling pins on a bowling alley, a bumper hanging across the pit of the bowling alley for stopping thrown bowling balls, a set of elongated flexible members connected to and supporting said table at one end and connected to a set of pulleys of a predetermined diameter at the other end, a second set of elongated flexible members connected at one end to and supporting said bumper and connected to a second set of pulleys having a different diameter than that of the first mentioned set of pulleys at the other end, and mechanism for interconnecting said pulleys for rotation to raise and lower said table and bumper in substantially opposite directions a predetermined distance each time a bowling ball is thrown for balancing the weight of the bumper against the weight of the table.

11. In an automatic bowling pin setting machine, a movable bumper for stopping thrown bowling balls, a table traveling towards and away from a bowling alley for engaging, gripping, lifting, and replacing standing bowling pins on the bowling alley, mechanism interconnecting said table and said bumper to counterbalance the table with the bumper, and mechanism for lowering and raising said table, while it is counterbalanced by said bumper a predetermined distance each time a bowling ball is thrown to engage, grip, lift, and replace bowling pins on the bowling alley after the first ball is thrown.

12. In an automatic bowling pin setting machine, a member for positioning bowling pins on a bowling alley, said member being adapted and arranged to travel up and down with respect to the bowling alley, a ball bumper for stopping thrown bowling balls, said bumper being mounted for up and down movement with respect to the bowling alley, mechanism for-lowering and raising said member a predetermined distance in each cycle of the pin setting machine, a second machine to move said members into and outoi operating position, and mechanism interconnecting said pin positioning member and ball stopping member to balance one against the other to thereby reduce the amount of power required to raise and lower either of said members. I 14. In an automatic bowling pin setting machine, a pin handling device movable up and down with respect to a bowlingalley, a ball stop- .ping device for stopping thrown-bowling balls,

said device being movable up and down with respect to the bowling alley, mechanism for raising and lowering said devices in opposite directions a predetermined distance in each operative cycle of the automatic bowling pin setting machine, and counterbalancing means interconnecting said devices to balance one device against the other.

) JOSEPH C. CLARK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 92,467 Pierce July 13, 1869 983,956 Tisdale Feb. 14, 1911 1,590,124 Roble June 22, 1926 1,627,414 Schafier May 3, 1927 1,712,186 White May 7, 1929 2,372,572

Hansley Mar. 27, 1945 

